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Italy defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo scored twice in a 4-1 home win over Israel in the Nations League on Monday as Luciano Spalletti’s side put one foot in the quarterfinals.
The win kept Italy top of League A Group Two with 10 points, one ahead of France who beat third-placed Belgium 2-1. Italy need at least one point from their two remaining group games to guarantee a place in the next round.
Striker Mateo Retegui broke the deadlock by firing a penalty into the top corner in the 41st minute while after the break Di Lorenzo headed the second from Giacomo Raspadori‘s free kick.
Mohammed Abu Fani pulled a goal back for Israel in the 66th direct from a corner before Federico Dimarco set up Davide Frattesi for Italy’s third and Di Lorenzo sealed the win with a low shot from the edge of the box.
There were snipers on the roof of the stadium and a heavy police presence throughout the city of Udine for the match as Israel played outside neutral Hungary for the first time this year due to the country’s ongoing war with Hamas.
Udine was on high alert, with the game being played against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East which has spread to Lebanon after more than a year-long war in Gaza.
In the end, both the game — and an earlier pro-Palestine demonstration — passed without incident.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.